Necktie accessory

ABSTRACT

A necktie accessory includes a body portion and one or more clips. The body portion has a first surface and a second surface. Each clip includes a base portion secured to the body portion and a trapping portion extending from the base portion. The trapping portion is movable relative to the body portion to define a gap between the trapping portion and the body portion. The gap is dimensioned to receive a portion of a necktie to secure the body portion to the necktie and enable the necktie to be folded around the body portion and the one or more clips. The body portion and the one or more clips are dimensioned to support a knot formed in the necktie when the body portion and the one or more clips are folded within the knot.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to neckties, and more particularly, to accessories for use with neckties.

BACKGROUND

A necktie is a clothing accessory often worn with a business suit. To wear a necktie, a user typically is required to knot the necktie around the user's neck. Unfortunately, necktie wearers find themselves often having to repeatedly retie knots to form a neat, and aesthetically pleasing knot. As a result, more and more users rely on clip-on ties with pre-formed knots to avoid the aggravation of having to repeatedly retie the knots to achieve a satisfactory appearance of the knot. However, clip-on ties have an artificial appearance and are limited in the types of colors-and fabrics.

Devices for supporting or forming necktie knots do exist; however, many of these devices are complicated to use and/or are uncomfortable to wear. Thus, a continuing need exists for a device that enables a user to simply and satisfactorily tie a knot in a necktie.

SUMMARY

A necktie accessory includes a body portion and one or more clips. The at least one clip can be integrally formed with the body portion. In embodiments, at least one of the body portion and the at least one clip includes a polymeric material.

The body portion has a first surface and a second surface. The body portion includes a peripheral, edge that extends between the first and second surfaces. In some embodiments, the peripheral edge includes a plurality of rounded edges and a plurality of flat edges. One of the rounded edges of the plurality of rounded edges is disposed between a pair of the flat edges of the plurality of flat edges. At least one of the pair of flat edges is disposed adjacent to a second one of the rounded edges. In embodiments, the body portion has a triangular shape. In some embodiments, the body portion is dimensioned to enable the knot to be folded into a Windsor knot. In embodiments, the body portion defines an opening therethrough dimensioned to receive a hanger and support the body portion on the hanger.

Each clip includes a base portion secured to the body portion and a trapping portion extending from the base portion. The trapping portion is movable relative to the body portion to define a gap between the trapping portion and the body portion. The gap is dimensioned to receive a portion of a necktie to secure the body portion to the necktie and enable the necktie to be folded around the body portion and the one or more clips. The body portion and the one or more clips are dimensioned to support a knot formed in the necktie when the body portion and the one or more clips are folded within the knot In some embodiments, the at least one clip includes a first, clip and a second clip. The first and second clip are disposed at an angle relative to one another. The angle can be between about 0 degrees to about 180 degrees. In some embodiments, the angle is approximately 90 degrees.

According to one aspect, a method of manufacturing a necktie accessory is provided. The method includes forming a triangular shaped body portion having rounded edges and being dimensioned to support a Windsor knot in a necktie folded about the triangular shaped body portion; and forming at least one clip that is secured to the triangular shaped body portion, the at least one clip dimensioned to receive a portion of the necktie to secure the triangular shaped body portion to the necktie.

The method can involve forming an opening through the triangular shaped body portion. Forming the at least one clip can includes cutting through the triangular shaped body portion to form the at least one clip. Forming the at least one clip can include cutting through the triangular shaped body portion to form the a first clip and a second clip. Cutting through the triangular shaped body portion to form, the a first clip and a second clip can include positioning, the first and second clips at an angle relative to one another. Forming the triangular shaped body portion can include forming the triangular shaped body portion from a polymeric material.

Other aspects, features, and advantages will be apparent from the description, drawings, and the claims that follow.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a necktie accessory in accordance with the

principles of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the necktie accessory.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the necktie accessory.

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the necktie accessory.

FIGS. 5-11 are progressive views illustrating a user tying a necktie with the necktie accessory shown in FIGS. 1-4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As used herein, the term “trailing” refers to the portion of a structure closer to a user, and the term “leading” refers to a portion of a structure farther from the user. The term “cephalad” or “cranially” refers to a direction toward a users head and the term “caudad” refers to a direction toward the user's feet. As used herein, the term “medial” indicates a direction toward the middle of the body of the user and the term “lateral” refers to a direction toward aside of the body of the user (i.e., away from the middle of the body of the user). The term “posterior” refers to a direction toward the user's back and the term “anterior” refers to a direction toward the user's front.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-4, a necktie accessory 10 includes a body portion 12, a first clip 14, and a second clip 16. In use, as will be described in greater detail below, the first and second clips 14, 16 are removably secured to a necktie 100 (see FIGS. 5-11) to enable a user to tie the necktie around the necktie accessory 10 to establish an aesthetically pleasing knot.

With reference to FIG. 2, the body portion 12 has a triangular shape and includes a front surface 12 a, a rear surface 12 b, and a peripheral edge 12 c that extends between the front and rear surfaces 12 a, 12 b to define a thickness of the body portion 12. Notably, the front and rear surfaces 12 a, 12 b are disposed in a mirrored relationship about the peripheral edge 12 c.

As seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the body portion 12 defines an opening 12 d that extends between the front and rear surfaces 12 a, 12 b and is dimensioned to receive a portion of a hanger (e.g., a hook portion of the hanger) (not shown) therethrough to enable the necktie accessory 10 to be supported on the hanger. The opening 12 d can be positioned at any suitable location on the body portion 12.

With continued reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the peripheral edge 12 c includes a plurality of rounded, edges 18 disposed alternately between a plurality of flat edges 20 to define the triangular shape of the body portion 12. The plurality of rounded edges 18 includes a first rounded, edge 18 a, a second rounded edge 18 b, and a third rounded edge 18 c. The plurality of flat edges 20 includes a first flat edge 20 a, a second flat edge 20 b, and a third flat edge 20 c.

With reference to FIG. 2, the first and second clips 14, 16 each include a clip body 22 having a base portion 22 a and a trapping portion 22 b. The first and second clips 14, 16 are integrally formed with the body portion 12. The first and second clips 14, 16 are formed by cutting through the body portion 12 so that the base portion 22 a remains secured to the body portion 12 while the trapping portion 22 b is pivotably movable about the base portion 22 a to any suitable angular orientation, relative to body portion 12 or any surface thereof (e.g. between 0 and 90 degrees, 0 and 180 degrees, or equivalents thereof, etc.). The first and second clips 14, 16 can be pivoted toward the front surface 12 a and/or toward the rear surface 12 b to accommodate left, and/or right side arrangements of the necktie 100 about a user (e.g., wide side of the necktie 100 positioned to the left of the user for a left side arrangement or to the right of the user for a right side arrangement). When the trapping portion 22 b is positioned at non-zero angle relative to the body portion 12 (e.g., not aligned with the body portion 12), the trapping portion 22 b and a respective one of the front and rear surfaces 12 a, 12 b of the body portion 12 define a gap 24 therebetween that is dimensioned to receive a portion of the necktie 100 to secure the necktie accessory 10 to the necktie 100.

In embodiments, the trapping portion 22 b may be rigidly fixed relative to the body portion 12. In certain embodiments, the first and second clips 14, 16 are secured to the body portion 12 using known fastening techniques (e.g., welding, crimping, adhesion, or the like). As can be appreciated, although the first and second clips 14, 16 are shown as rounded flaps, the first and second clips 14, 16 can have any suitable shape and/or dimension.

As seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, each of the first and second clips 14, 16 are disposed on the body portion 12 at an angle relative to one another (e.g., any suitable angle between about 0 degrees and 180 degrees or equivalents thereof) so that each clip can be secured to a different portion of the necktie 100 to facilitate securement of the necktie accessory 10 to the necktie 100 as will be described in greater detail below. The first and second clips 14, 16 can be supported on the body portion 12 at any suitable location.

The necktie accessory 10, or portions thereof, can be formed from any suitable material such as polymeric materials, metallic materials, and/or combinations thereof.

In use, with reference to FIG. 5, the necktie 100 is draped around a user's neck lying flat with a wide side 102 of the necktie 100 positioned to the user's right side and a narrow side 104 of the necktie 100 positioned to the user's left side. The second clip 16 of the necktie accessory 10 is secured to the wide side 102 of the necktie 102 at the side of the wide side 102 that is to the user's left. In this position, a portion of the wide side 102 necktie 100 is disposed within the gap 24 defined between the trapping portion 22 b of second clip 16 and the rear surface 12 b of the body portion 12 (e.g., where the second clip 16 is pivoted to an angular orientation away from the body portion 12 on the rear surface 12 b side) such that the first rounded edge 18 a is positioned substantially in the cephalad direction at an acute angle relative to the cephalad direction and the third rounded edge 18 c is positioned substantially in the caudad direction.

Simultaneously, or shortly thereafter, the wide side 102 and the narrow side 104 are crisscrossed so that the wide side 102 overlaps the narrow side 104 as shown in FIG. 6. The first clip 14 of the necktie accessory 10 is secured to the narrow side 104 of the necktie 100 at the side of the narrow side that is to the user's right. In this position, a portion of the narrow side 104 of the necktie 100 is disposed within the gap 24 defined between the trapping portion 22 b of the first clip 14 and the rear surface 12 b of the body portion. 12 (e.g., where the first clip 16 is pivoted to an angular orientation away from the body portion 12 on the rear surface 12 b side) such that the necktie accessory 10 is located substantially medially relative to the user. In this regard, the first rounded edge 18 a is positioned laterally toward the user's right side, the second flat edge is positioned laterally toward the user's left side, the first flat edge 20 a is disposed substantially in the cephalad direction and the third rounded edge 18 c is disposed substantially in the caudad direction.

Referring to FIG. 7, the wide side 102 of the necktie 100 is directed posteriorly around the narrow side 104 of the necktie 100. With reference to FIG. 8, a leading portion 102 b of the wide side 102 is then directed in the cephalad direction over a knotting location KL defined by the necktie 100 and necktie accessory 10. The leading portion 102 b of the wide side 102 is then drawn in the caudad direction through a passage 106 defined by the necktie 100 and passed posteriorly of the knotting location KL. The leading portion 102 b of the wide side 10 is then drawn in the caudad direction so that a trailing portion 102 a of the wide side 102 of the necktie 100 wraps around the front surface 12 a of the body portion 10 and over first rounded portion 18 a and portions of the first and third flat edges 20 a, 20 c that are adjacent to the first rounded portion 18 a, Referring also to FIG. 9, the leading portion 102 b of the wide side 102 is then directed laterally to the user's right side and upwardly in the cephalad direction and laterally over the front of the knotting location KL toward the user's left side. The leading portion 102 b is then drawn in the cephalad direction posteriorly of the knotting location KL and through the passage 106 defined by the necktie 100 forming a loop 108 between the knotting location KL and an intermediate portion 102 c of the wide side 102.

With reference to FIG. 10, the leading portion 102 b of the wide side 102 is passed anteriorly over the trailing portion 102 a of the wide side 102 and the first flat edge 20 a of the necktie accessory 10 into the loop 108 of the necktie 100. The leading portion 102 b of the wide side 102 is then drawn in the caudad direction to tighten the loop 108 about the necktie accessory 10 at the knotting location KL and form a knot K about the necktie accessory 10. Referring also to FIG. 11, to adjust the knot K, the narrow side 104 is drawn in the caudad direction and the knot K, with the necktie accessory 10, is moved in the cephalad direction into approximation with the user's neck. The knot K can then be adjusted by pinching the knot K and drawing the leading portion 102 b of the wide side 102 in the caudad direction until the desired length of the necktie 100 and look of the knot K is achieved.

Although use of the accessory 10 to tie the necktie 100 is described herein with wide side 102 of the necktie 100 initially positioned to the user's right side and a narrow side 104 of the necktie 100 positioned to the user's left side, the accessory 10 can be reversed (by virtue of the clips 14, 16 being pivotable through the body portion 12) so that the necktie 100 can likewise be initially positioned about the user with the wide side 102 of the necktie 100 positioned to the user's left side and a narrow side 104 of the necktie 100 positioned to the user's right side.

Persons skilled in the art will understand that the structures and methods specifically described herein and shown in the accompanying figures are non-limiting exemplary embodiments, and that the description, disclosure, and figures should be construed merely as exemplary of particular embodiments. It is to be understood, therefore, that the present disclosure is not limited to the precise embodiments described, and that various other changes and modifications may be effected by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the disclosure. Additionally, the elements and features shown or described in connection with certain embodiments may be combined with the elements and features of certain other embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, and that such modifications and variations are also included within the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the subject matter of the present disclosure is not limited by what has been particularly shown and described. 

What is claimed:
 1. A necktie accessory, comprising; a body portion having a first surface and a second surface; and at least one clip including a base portion secured to the body portion and a trapping portion extending from the base portion, the trapping portion being movable relative to the body portion to define a gap between the trapping portion and the body portion, the gap being dimensioned to receive a portion of a necktie to secure the body portion to the necktie and enable the necktie to be folded around the body portion and the least one clip, the body portion and the at least one clip being dimensioned to support a knot formed in the necktie when the body portion and the at least one clip are folded within the knot.
 2. The necktie accessory of claim 1, wherein the body portion has a triangular shape.
 3. The necktie accessory of claim 1, wherein, the body portion is dimensioned to enable the knot to be folded into a Windsor knot.
 4. The necktie accessory of claim 1, wherein the body portion includes a peripheral edge that extends between the first and second surfaces.
 5. The necktie accessory of claim 4, wherein the peripheral edge includes a plurality of rounded edges and a plurality of flat edges.
 6. The necktie accessory of claim 5, wherein one of the rounded edges of the plurality of rounded edges is disposed between a pair of the flat edges of the plurality of flat edges.
 7. The necktie accessory of claim 6, wherein at least one of the pair of flat edges is disposed adjacent to a second one of the rounded edges.
 8. The necktie accessory of claim 1, wherein the body portion defines an opening therethrough dimensioned to receive a hanger and support the body portion on the hanger.
 9. The necktie accessory of claim 1, wherein the at least one clip includes a first clip and a second clip.
 10. The necktie accessory of claim 1, wherein the first and second clip are disposed at an angle relative to one another.
 11. The necktie accessory of claim 10, wherein the angle is between about 0 degrees to about 180 degrees.
 12. The necktie accessory of claim 11, wherein the angle is approximately 90 degrees.
 13. The necktie accessory of claim 1, wherein at least one of the body portion and the at least one clip includes a polymeric material.
 14. The necktie accessory of claim 1, wherein the at least one clip is integrally formed with the body portion.
 15. A method of manufacturing a necktie accessory, comprising; forming a triangular shaped body portion having rounded edges and being dimensioned to support a Windsor knot in a necktie folded about the triangular shaped body portion; and forming at least one clip that is secured to the triangular shaped body portion, the at least one clip dimensioned to receive a portion of the necktie to secure the triangular shaped body portion to the necktie.
 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising forming an opening through the triangular shaped body portion.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein forming the at least one clip includes cutting through the triangular shaped body portion to form the at least one clip.
 18. The method of claim 15, wherein forming the at least one clip includes cutting through the triangular shaped body portion to form a first clip and a second clip.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein cutting through the triangular shaped body portion to form a first clip and a second clip including positioning the first and second clips at an angle relative to one another.
 20. The method of claim 15, wherein forming the triangular shaped body portion includes forming the triangular shaped body portion from a polymeric material. 